The present invention relates to low glass transition temperature adhesive copolymers useful in hair-care products to provide hair styling hold, e.g., hair sprays, mousses, shampoos, and conditioners. The present invention further relates to hair styling compositions containing the copolymers of the present invention. In addition, the present invention relates to methods for providing styling hold to hair by utilizing a copolymer or hair styling composition of the present invention.
The desire to have hair retain a particular shape or configuration is one shared by many people, men and women alike. Approaches taken can either involve permanent alteration of the hair or a temporary alteration. The former involves the use of chemical agents to react with the hair in order to achieve the desired effect. This process can be carried out at either room temperature or elevated temperature.
The temporary set given to hair is, as the term indicates, a temporary arrangement which can be removed by water or by shampooing. The materials used to provide the set have generally been resins or gums. The temporary set compositions have taken the form of gels, lotions, and sprays, and, in more recent years, the form of an aerosol foam (i.e., a styling mousse). The compositions are most often applied to hair dampened with water; then combed or spread throughout the hair by other means; followed by letting the hair dry or blow drying the hair.
The set given will vary depending on the materials used. Temporary set hair styling products typically utilize adhesive polymers which are ethanol or water-soluble rigid polymers having glass transition temperatures well above the temperatures experienced in styling hair. Examples of such high glass transition temperature adhesive polymers are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,743,715 to Viout and Papantoniou, issued July 3, 1973; 4,165,367 to Chakrabarti, issued Aug. 21, 1979; and 4,223,009 to Chakrabarti, issued Sept. 16, 1980; the disclosures of all these patents being incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. These adhesive polymers are typically applied to the hair in an ethanol or water solvent, and then set to form rigid welds between hair fibers when the solvent evaporates as the hair dries. These hair fiber welds form the basis for the style hold ability of conventional hair styling products. When these welds are broken, they remain broken unless the appropriate polymer solvent is added to redissolve the adhesive and reform the welds when the hair dries.
In addition, many polymers said to be useful in hair styling products are multi-component polymers which combine three, four, and even more monomers into the polymer chains. Frequently, one of the monomer components is vinyl pyrrolidone. Examples of such complex polymer systems are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,222,329 to Grosser, et al., issued Dec. 7, 1965; 3,577,517 to Kubot, et al., issued May 4, 1971; 4,012,501 to Farber, issued Mar. 15, 1977; and 4,272,511 to Papantoniou and Mondet, issued June 9, 1981; the disclosures of all these patents being incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Other polymers said to be useful for hair styling compositions have been disclosed, such as block polymers. These block polymers have two or more glass transition temperatures. Examples of such block polymer systems are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,907,984 to Calvert, et al., issued Sept. 23, 1975; 4,030,512 to Papantoniou, et al., issued June 21, 1977; and 4,283,384 to Jacquet, et al., issued Aug. 11, 1981; the disclosures of all these patents being incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Notwithstanding the great effort already put forth to identify these adhesive polymers for use in temporary set hair styling products, there remains a continuing need to identify new polymers which are useful to provide temporary set and other desirable properties to hair. The copolymers of the present invention are copolymers containing two or more selected monomer components randomly distributed in the copolymer chain, and having a single glass transition temperature within the temperature range of from about 0.degree. C. to about 80.degree. C. These copolymers have several properties which make them superior to previously disclosed hair styling polymers for application to hair.
Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide low glass transition temperature adhesive copolymers useful for providing temporary set style hold to hair. Another object is to provide adhesive copolymers that provide this temporary set style hold while remaining pliable on the hair. A further object is to provide adhesive copolymers which lengthen the time such temporary set style hold is perceived to be acceptable. Also, an object is to provide adhesive copolymers which provide good temporary set hair style retention while allowing the perception of continued naturalness such as good hair movement and good hair feel. In addition, an object is to provide polymers which do not make hair feel stiff or sticky. An object of the present invention is also to provide adhesive copolymers which give body and/or fullness to hair, and/or which give the ability to provide lift to hair, and/or which increase hair volume. Another object is to provide adhesive copolymers which are easy to synthesize and utilize in hair styling compositions. Finally, an object of the present invention is to provide superior hair styling compositions comprising the adhesive copolymers of the present invention; and to provide an improved method for styling hair by utilizing an adhesive copolymer or hair styling composition of the present invention.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent from the detailed description which follows.
All percentages and ratios used herein are by weight unless otherwise specified.